Compression garments are articles of clothing that provide support in the form of compressive pressure to regions of a wearer's body. Such garments come in a variety of forms (such as pants, pantyhose, stockings, socks, and sleeves, etc.) and find use in numerous applications including therapeutic and performance enhancing applications. Therapeutic compression garments include, for example, compression stockings, which are often used to support the venous and lymphatic systems of the legs, e.g., for treating poor blood circulation, varicose veins, edema, lymphedema, and deep vein thrombosis. Known compression stockings offer graduated compression where maximum compression is provided at the ankle and decreases along the length of the leg toward the waist. This compression aids in promoting circulation of blood and lymph fluid through the legs and can be beneficial to people with poor blood circulation, people who have to stand for long periods, and/or people who have to sit in one position for extended periods of time (such as when flying long distances).
Another category of compression garment is compression sportswear. Compression sportswear is used, e.g., by athletes, for enhancing muscle performance. Compression sportswear, such as compression sleeves and compression tights, apply compressive pressure to working muscles to promote blood circulation and flow of oxygen to the muscles to help maintain muscle warmth, strength and endurance, and to inhibit cramping, during athletic activities.
Known compression garments typically have fully-fashioned knit construction. In this construction, the fabric is flat, with no raised surface, and provides little or no thermal insulation.